


i like you (like this)

by titania19



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: 00 line and markhei are in the same grade, 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Implied Luren, Lee Jeno is Whipped, M/M, basketball player jeno, student council president jaemin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:47:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28567182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/titania19/pseuds/titania19
Summary: 5 times Lee Jeno tried too hard to impress student council president Na Jaemin, and 1 time he realised he didn't actually need to try after all.
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 13
Kudos: 231





	1. 5

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> Here's a small high school nomin 5+1 fic, hope you enjoy it <3

**1.**

“You need to button your blazer.” Yukhei tells him, “It’s the rules. And you have to put your tie properly, too”

Mark and Jeno regard him with twin unimpressed looks. It’s still new to them, this world in which Wong Yukhei cares about following the dress code.

“And we have to do that, why, may I ask?” Mark snorts, “It barely matters, nobody ends up wearing their blazer after the first break, and ties suck..”

“But we need to have it on for the uniform check, at least!”

“You literally just want to hear the vice-president say ‘Wow, Yukhei, fourth day in a row!’-”

“-fifth! It’s my fifth day in a row!”

“Then you do it, why do we have to?”

“I can’t look stupid and rule-follow-y on my own!” Yukhei looks like a kicked puppy, and Jeno sighs.

“Why don’t you think about it like this? If we sit in front of you and we’re not wearing our blazers, Huang Renjun will be even more impressed when he sees that you are.”

Mark nods vigorously, and Yukhei pauses for a moment, before nodding as well, “You’re smart, Jeno.”

So, of course, half an hour later sees Mark and Jeno all the way in the back of the class, positioned strategically in the (only) desks in front of Yukhei, blazers off and ties loose around their necks.

“I fucking hate blazers.” Mark mutters, “And it’s worse when we have basketball practice in the mornings, because we shower and-”

“-and our arms are still wet-ish and the blazer makes the uniform shirt stick to us and it’s really hot because it’s spring, anyway, and why the fuck do we need blazers, what do they do.” Jeno finishes boredly. He knows the monologue by heart, he hears it every other day. And, to be fair, Mark does have a point.

Between Mark, Jeno, and Yukhei, there are 3 lockers full of red tickets from failing to meet the uniform requirement during the daily student-council check. 10 red tickets earns one hour of detention, and Jeno’s pretty sure he’s seen the Detention Lady enough for her to know his birthday and his jersey number.

“Is this right?” Yukhei whispers from behind, and they both turn around to check his tie. It’s a little messy, but it’ll do- Jeno hates ties with passion. Ties are to him what blazers are to Mark: unnecessary, difficult and annoying.

“You’re gonna get stuck with a shirt-and-tie job when you grow up.” his mother always teases him, but Jeno knows he would never in his life opt for a profession that required him to sit still and work in front of a screen. He wants to take up architecture, maybe, or mechanics. That’s interesting, and Jeno’s always liked assembling things and manual work as compared to-

“-oh, looks like Vice President isn’t doing the uniform check today.” Mark frowns at the boy at the entrance of their classroom.

Jeno turns to the door, too. And just as Mark had said, rather than the student council vice-president Huang Renjun, it’s his best friend, President Na Jaemin. Jeno can practically feel Yukhei deflate behind him, but his own heart goes into overdrive immediately.

Na Jaemin is easily the prettiest boy Jeno has ever seen in his whole life. He has soft, pink hair (only dyed after coloured hair was approved by the school policy) and doe eyes (sometimes lined with eyeliner, after makeup was approved by the school policy), and the brightest, most gorgeous smile in the universe.

Jaemin is famous for a lot of things in school- for being the Student Council president, for being the school topper, for being an ex- national-level speed skater. For being big on volunteer work and fundraising (he participates in every single drive and charity that Jeno knows of). For drinking Iced Americano with 8 shots of espresso every morning (once caffeine consumption within campus boundaries was approved by the school policy). For having a sweet laugh and a sweeter personality.

He isn’t particularly outgoing- Jeno knows that, too. He’s loud when he wants to be and quiet when he wants to be. But his eyes always shine, and he always talks with such care and sincerity that Jeno’s heart hurts.

He maybe likes Na Jaemin a lot.

“Renjun’s sick today.” Jaemin says to their homeroom teacher, and it’s his honey voice that snaps Jeno out of his daze, “So I’ll be doing this class’s uniform check for the morning.”

“This is so unfair.” Yukhei whines from behind, “I have a solid streak going, he won’t be able to- what are you doing?”

“What the fuck?” Mark gripes, as Jeno practically rips his blazer out of his bag and hurries to put it on.

“I don’t know how to put on a tie!” Jeno hisses quietly, hoping Jaemin won’t hear- he’s still at the front of the class, so Jeno thinks he’s safe, “D’you think he’ll accept if i just….loop it around? Ooh, do you think he’ll do it for me?”

“I think he’ll want to get this done as soon as he can because he has a lot of classes left to inspect.” Mark says flatly, while Yukhei gapes.

Jeno groans and attempts to loop the tie around his neck. He fails miserably, and by the time Jaemin arrives at his desk, he looks like a mess. As he probably always does in front of Na Jaemin, because he’s nearly always either sweaty from practice or in detention when they meet.

“Hi!” Jaemin smiles brightly, and Jeno forgets to breathe for a second, “Did you have practice this morning?” he’s already handing Mark a red ticket, and Mark takes it like it’s routine (it is).

“Yup, Coach has been scheduling early mornings all month.” Mark says, and Jaemin is about to hand Jeno a red ticket too when his eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“Oh.” he says, taking in Jeno’s dishevelled appearance, “You’re wearing the full uniform.”

“Y-yeah.” Jeno winces at the way Jaemin’s eyes linger on his tie, “I, um- really like the uniform?”

He hears Mark and Yukhei let out twin snorts, and Jaemin’s eyebrows rise even more.

“That’s not what I hear from Renjun.” he giggles, looking a bit confused, “And that’s not what I see in the corridors. You three are the only ones to have more than 40 red tickets. Although,” he turns to Yukhei and nods approvingly, “Renjun did tell me you’ve started following the policy. Good job, Yukhei, I’ll let him know the streak’s still going.”

Yukhei lights up, “Yeah, please do! And- and ask him to feel better soon! And tell him I can give him notes for- oh, fuck, no I can’t, I have practice that period. Okay, just tell him I learnt how to tie my tie!”

“I will.” 

“I...don’t know how to tie my tie?” Jeno ventures, wanting Jaemin’s attention back on him.

“Clearly.” Jaemin says, no malice in his voice, “Yukhei’s looks good, you should ask him for help.”

Yukhei smirks.

“I’ll be wearing the uniform properly from now on.” Jeno insists- he just wants to hear a good job from Jaemin, too, sue him, “So you don’t have to worry. I have no problem with that.”

“Okay, then.” Jaemin’s smile is still there, like it always is, but there’s something different about it- a bit bewildered, maybe? He doesn’t look that lost when he usually greets Jeno, during game days or practice meetings, “I’ll be keeping an eye on that, I guess.”

When Jaemin leaves the class, Mark and Yukhei look so incredibly unimpressed that Jeno cowers a bit.

“You love the uniform?” Yukhei repeats, “ _Really?_ That was the fakest thing I’ve ever heard. You wrote in the sports column last term that the uniform policy is an abomination to comfort and expression.”

“Yeah, and you told Renjun when he gave you a ticket that you’d rather sit in a hundred detentions than wear a tie for the whole day.” Mark adds, “That was last week.”

“Well.” Jeno sniffs, “I changed my mind.”

He kind of wishes Jaemin smiled at him today the same way Renjun did at Yukhei yesterday. He wonders why Jaemin looked so lost, but Jeno figures he’s just surprised. It's not every day Jeno attempts to wear the whole uniform.

“Stop daydreaming.” Mark hits his head with a notebook, snorting when Jeno reaches up to untie his tie and remove his blazer.

“Well, that lasted all of five minutes.” Yukhei mutters.

Jeno scowls and says nothing.

***

**2.**

“I hate fundraiser season.” Jeno grouches, and Mark frowns reproachfully.

“You shouldn’t.”

“I don’t hate _fundraisers_.” Jeno hastens to correct himself, “I just hate how they make us do useless things like putting up posters during PE class. We could have practiced layups for an hour, but instead we’re pinning the same poster to every other inch of the wall.”

“That’s only because you’re too useless to do anything else.” Yukhei points out, “You have to contribute _something_.”

“Stop fucking showing off.”

“He’s literally covering the Sports Department's contribution to the Fundraiser in the newspaper.” Mark pushes Jeno lightly, “That's...like, thousands of words. That’s more than you’ve done in the past three years.”

Jeno groans, thumping his head on the wall, “Why don’t they tell us to use music class instead? Or history- why do I even take that subject? Why do they make us skip PE?” he turns to his friends defiantly, “Don’t they know that PE is just as much a subject as history and math? Why do they think they can reduce it to-”

“-because the only people in our grade who aren’t working on actual events for the Fundraiser this year are me and you.” Mark tells him tiredly, “I heard from Mina who heard from Yangyang who heard from Shotaro-”

“-the new kid? Are you telling me that even the new kid knows we’re usel-”

“He’s neighbours with the Event Organising Committee Head, Lee Donghyuck.” 

Jeno says nothing to that, instead choosing to mutter profanities when a voice breaks him out of his trance.

“Jeno, Mark, Yukhei!”

They turn to see Na Jaemin walking towards them. His uniform is on perfectly, of course. He has his eight-shot coffee in his hand and folder tucked under his other arm, “How is it going?”

“Like hell.” Mark says, and Jaemin laughs.

“I figured. I’m sorry you have to do this, but it’s compulsory that everyone participates in some way, and you both didn’t sign up for anything.” he looks a bit reproachful, “Not even for handing out badges on fundraiser day.”

That’s because Jeno will be sleeping on fundraiser day.

“I’m not for sticking up so many posters, myself, actually.” Jaemin continues, “I thought a few would be okay, but Hyuckie really insisted.”

“Why didn’t you want this many?” Yukhei asks, leaning against the wall.

“It’s not eco-friendly at all!” the pinkette says vehemently, “Look at how much paper we’re wasting! It’s just going to be pointless at the end of the season. Social media is probably a lot faster in terms of marketing. Everyone in school is already involved anyway- what's the point of putting up a million posters inside school? I’m probably going to bring this up in my President campaign next academic year.”

“You barely need to campaign.” Mark snorts, “Everyone loves you.”

“Still.” Jaemin blushes a little at the compliment, and Jeno feels a spike of envy course through him. He straightens up.

“I agree about the eco-friendly thing, but I really like sticking up posters, so don’t worry!”

He hears Mark sigh and quietly go back to his work, a silent expression of exasperation. Yukhei just snorts.

“You do?” Jaemin blinks, “But I could hear you complaining all the way from the end of the corridor.”

“What?” Jeno says, horrified, “No, no- I was just being sarcastic, totally sarcastic. I was kidding!”

“But I thought-” Jaemin pauses, eyes dimming for a moment, “But I thought you didn’t like it taking up PE time? That’s fair, actually, I was going to offer to he-”

“No, it’s not a problem if it takes PE time!” Jeno interjects, “It...literally doesn’t matter, PE isn’t that important. Like, I can practice at home, it’s fine.”

Jaemin smiles at him. It’s not his usual bright smile- it’s the one from last week, where his eyes didn’t quite shine the same way, and he looked more puzzled than happy.

“If you say so.” he finally says, sweet and quiet, and he leaves before Jeno can say another word, waving at the three of them cheerfully.

“Jeno.” Yukhei sighs, “He was going to offer to help.”

“He’s already busy, I don’t want to trouble him.”

“He was going to agree with your point about PE.” Mark says, “And what do you mean, it doesn’t matter? You’re really passionate about the school taking PE seriously. You wrote about it in the Sports section of the newspaper- that was the article Jaemin told you was insightful and fascinating!”

Jeno feels stupid at the realsiation, “Fuck, yeah. He did read that.”

“Yup.”

“Fuck.”

Yukhei dumps a new stack of posters into his hands, “Yup.” he echoes, popping the ‘p’. 

Jeno groans and takes the papers, wondering how fast he needs to work to get at least 15 minutes in the gym.

****

**3.**

“The most useless thing in the entire world is picture day.” Jeno announces, “Especially organised like this.”

“We’ve been doing this since pre-school.” Yukhei deadpans, “And you decide to have a problem now?”

“I’ve always had a problem. Not that you would know since you don’t read the opinion section of our school paper.”

“I can’t believe Dejun actually made an opinions section because of you.” Mark shakes his head in disbelief.

Ah, yes. Because Jeno had received complaints from the Principal that he was writing too much about his own opinions rather than actual sports news. So the editor, Dejun, put Yukhei in charge of that, after the success of his fundraiser coverage. And he’d started a new opinions section because he’d liked Jeno’s pieces a lot.

“You’re so opinionated that you need a whole newspaper section to yourself.” Yukhei says, amazed.

“It’s not to _myself_.” Jeno sniffs, “It’s open to anyone, people are just too cowardly to send shit. Plus, I’m not opinionated. I just have very reasonable views and I like to share them.”

“Fair enough.”

“His school picture day article was good, though.” Mark tells Yukhei, “He said the system is flawed because having students take their individual pictures in front of the whole class can create anxiety and stress, which could easily be avoided by calling them privately one-by-one under faculty supervision, or asking for systemic home photos.”

Yukhei whistles, eyes straying to a group in front of them, who were demanding that they close their eyes when the others’ photos were being taken.

“Fair.” he says again.

“Go to the counter and give Prez your names!” Huang Renjun calls from behind them, “Stop loitering and please- oh, it's you three.” he inspects them, “Who tied your ties?”

“I did!” Yukhei announces, eager to gain praise from ‘the most adorable love of my life’, “I learnt properly!”

“I can see that.” Renjun beams, “I know you hate them, but I’m glad you got it done for picture day, at least.”

“They do suck.” Yukhei agrees, and Renjun laughs.

“They can get uncomfortable.” he concedes, “But good job, ‘hei. Go give your names to Jaemin and he’ll give you a token. Hand that in to the photographer when it’s your turn.”

They playfully salute him and head to Jaemin’s counter, Yukhei whispering, “Did you hear that? He called me ‘hei!”

“Hi!” Jaemin smiles at them, picking up a pen to note down their names, “How’s it been going? Practice is rough these days, I heard- I barely see you outside class anymore.”

He is technically talking to all of them, but his eyes are on Jeno.

“Yeah. It’s intense.” Jeno manages, “Game in a couple of weeks, y’know how Coach gets.”

“I’m sure you’ll do great.” there’s a shriek from the side, and they all turn to see a girl demand for her photo to be retaken. The teachers-in-charge hurry to calm her down, saying that there’s no time for retakes, and Jeno can see a group of other girls snorting with laughter at the scene.

The very reason Jeno doesn’t like the social pressure that comes with having your photos taken in public for school photo-day.

“Oh, dear.” Jaemin sighs, looking a little sad, “I hope we can get hers redone in the end if she wants it so badly.”

Jeno can’t help but smile. Jaemin is so sweet and compassionate.

“You three look good, though.” the president’s attention is back on them, “All neat and orderly. I’m impressed.”

“Thanks.” Mark takes the tokens from him, “It’ll never happen again.”

This makes Jaemin laugh, and Jeno’s sure he can hear angels everywhere. Jaemin has the most beautiful laugh. Jeno hopes he’s always happy.

“Ah, well.” Jaemin chuckles, “Picture day is special, I guess.”

Especially bad, Jeno wants to say, but what comes out is, “It’s very special.”

Jaemin, Mark and Yukhei blink at him.

“I mean- it’s always fun to go through the yearbook!” he defends himself quickly, “The candids are funny!”

“That’s true.” Mark admits.

“And- and-” Jeno is suddenly aware that as the student body president, Jaemin must have been part of the organisation of picture day, “And it’s been organised well!”

His remark is punctuated by the sound of Renjun demanding that “everyone who had their photo taken already, stop lining up for retakes because there’s no time!”  
The photographer’s groan of annoyance is louder than the vice-president’s voice. Jeno winces.

“Right…” Jaemin says slowly, and he’s not really smiling anymore, “Um...you do know that the school organises this, right? Not the student council? We just help out, and the organisation is pretty shitty.”

Jeno says nothing.

“I read your article.” Jaemin adds after a moment, “It was very insightful.”

There’s another beat of silence, and Jeno’s not sure what to say, but he realises belatedly that it must have sounded like he was mocking Jaemin. Dread pools up in his stomach, “I mean, like...you’re doing decently at keeping it under control?” he tries, “Picture day is...okay, honestly.”

He feels Mark pinch his side in warning, but he doesn’t need it- he can already tell by the way Jaemin has that same lost look on his face. Jeno’s grown far too accustomed to it, and he hates the way it’s usually because of him.

“I suppose it is okay.” Jaemin finally says, smile smaller and more strained, “Have a good one, guys. Tell Renjun not to stress too much if you meet him up there.”

Jeno wants to say something, anything- but Yukhei and Mark are pulling him toward the long line of students. Yukhei looks disapproving, like he thinks Jeno was being stupid on purpose.

“You don’t need to do that, y’know.” Mark tells him quietly, “It makes you look ridiculous every time. You can’t have an opinions section in the school newspaper and then spout this stupid opposite shit whenever you see him.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“I know.” Mark says a little fondly, “But...yeah, you get what I mean, right?”

Jeno kind of does. But the thing is, he just wants Jaemin to like him. Jaemin is kind and responsible and sweet. Jeno does a lot of things Jaemin might not like- he skips class to practice basketball. He doesn’t wear his uniform and gets detention for it. He writes too many opinions in the newspaper and he swears a lot and after a basketball game victory he can be obnoxious for weeks. He studies when he wants to, but he doesn’t submit his assignments on time. Sometimes he can be so typically jock that it grosses him out.

“Jeno?” Yukhei pokes his shoulder, “It’s your turn.”

Jeno sighs and heads to the stool, ignoring half the grade’s eyes on him as they wait for their turn, and tries not to think about the way Jaemin’s smile dimmed.

***

**4.**

“I don’t fuck with talent shows.” Jeno says, “Especially compulsory ones, what the fuck? What about the poor kids with stage fright?”

“They all signed up for lights and sound and ticketing.” Yukhei reminds him, “It’s chill, bro, it happens every year.”

“And he complains every year.”

“I just don’t understand the concept of stage production being the only way to show off talent.” Jeno insists, “Yeah, have a talent show for people who like to dance or sing or whatever, but like- why is it compulsory? What about people who like art or something? We don’t have art showcases- we should have those, too. It's totally unfair.”

“Jeno, we know your opinions on this.” Yukhei says tiredly, “The whole school knows. It was all over your opinions page last week.”

“It’s not _my_ section, it’s open to anyone.”

“And yet.” Mark sighs, “I don’t see anyone else sharing their opinions on it.”

Jeno scowls, resuming his job of cutting up tickets into little squares. He’s eternally grateful that there were slots open for ticket-cutting. He falls under the category ‘organisational volunteers’ and does not, thankfully, have to come up with a performing act.

“It was a good opinion though.” Mark admits as an afterthought, “Like...they should just call this a performing arts display, and have one for art and writers and stuff. I have friends who like to cook, what are they gonna do?”

“They are doing Master Chef 2.0 on stage.” Jeno grumbles, “Who wants to watch a bunch of high schoolers crack eggs for 10 minutes?”

“Renjun told me Jaemin can crack eggs with one hand.” Yukhei says conversationally, and Jeno’s eyes widen.

“Damn.” he mutters, “He’s such… marriage material. He’s just- cute.”

“You’re gross.” Yukhei says cheerfully, brandishing the scissors in a way that’s far too dangerous for Jeno to accept, “But it’s okay, you’re whipped. Why don’t you go deliver these to him, then?”

He’s pointing to the bin of neatly cut tickets, and Jeno nods along, glad for any reason to see the prettiest boy he knows, “I will.”

He finds Jaemin in the student council meeting room with Renjun and Donghyuck. All three of them have various files spread out in front of them, and none of their expressions look happy.

“Um, am I interrupting something?”

They glance up, and Jaemin smiles immediately on seeing him, “Jeno, hi!”

“H-hi.” he fumbles a bit, “Can I come in?”

“Sure, sure.” Donghyuck gestures to the several empty seats around the table, “What’s u- oh are those the tickets? You guys finished cutting? Awesome, thanks!”

“Yeah.” Jeno doesn’t know what else to say- technically his work here is done, but also, he kind of wants to hang around a while longer and see if he can make Jaemin smile this time, “Do you need us to do anything else?”

“Not really.” Renjun looks around, “I think we’re good, actually. We’ve just got a lot of sorting out to do. We’re a bit on edge with the Staff and Admin.”

Jeno blinks, surprised. Technically, the student council is supposed to work to merge the student body and the school administration. He wonders what’s got them upset.

“Nothing too serious, I hope.”

Jaemin shrugs, “They can be a bit rigid, sometimes. With their traditions and practices.” he stretches, “I mean, their intentions are good, but there’s a lot of modification that I’ve been pushing for, and they kind of turn a blind eye to all my proposals.”

Jeno doesn’t like the idea of anyone turning a blind eye to Jaemin. Jaemin is hard-working and smart and has everyone’s best interests at heart.

“That’s rude.” Jeno scoffs, “You’re the president. What’s the point if they don’t listen to you?”

“Right?” Jaemin chuckles, looking tired, “I feel useless sometimes, because I know a lot of people aren’t happy with things right now. I wish I could do more, I just don’t know how.”

“Don’t you stress.” Renjun rubs his shoulder, and Jeno would feel jealous if he wasn’t 95% sure that Renjun liked Yukhei back, “It’s not your fault, Jaem. Admin sucks ass sometimes.”

“Yeah, well.” Jaemin leans forward to pull the bin of tickets towards him, “I guess we just need to focus on the talent show. I hope that goes well, at least.”

“It will, it’s a great initiative.” Jeno’s mouth works faster than his mind sometimes, and he feels kind of disgusted by the words leaving his mouth because he really doesn’t agree with them, “It’s a great chance for kids to show their talent.”

“Maybe better if it wasn't compulsory.” Jaemin points out, and Jeno wants to agree, because fuck yeah it shouldn’t be compulsory. But also he’s sure Jaemin spent nights preparing for this, and also, Jeno can be dumb sometimes.

“It’s fine even if it is, it’s a good idea. It’s like- cool. Yeah.”

Donghyuck raises his eyebrow from where he’s standing, “Don’t you hate talent shows? You and Mark and Yukhei do preparational volunteering every year.”

“That’s because my talent is basketball.”

“But you said-”

Jeno suddenly realises that Donghyuck must have read his article about talent shows in the newspaper, “-yeah, well, I’m conflicted now.”

“Conflicted why?” it’s Jaemin who asks this time, and he genuinely looks so curious, like he thinks Jeno will have a real answer. He peers at Jeno, wide, sparkly eyes, and Jeno wishes his brain-to-mouth filter worked.

“Just that...I...like talent shows? Not like them, I misunderstood them. Like- our school is- it’s an initiative of good intention and- you know.”

“But I thought you-” Jaemin cuts himself off, the sparkle gone from his eyes. He looks a bit disappointed and Jeno aches, but he’s also not quite sure why Jaemin looks that way. He wants to know, maybe he can fix it.

“I?”

“Nothing.” Jaemin shakes his head, “Nothing I just thought- because I saw-” he looks flustered now, and not the good type. He looks confused again, and he’s looking at Jeno in a less sparkly way than five minutes ago.

Jeno hates it.

Before he can say anything else (probably worse), Renjun hands him another stack of uncut tickets, “Um, sorry, I just realized we still had these left.”

Jeno reaches across to take it, and when he does, one of the papers spread out on the table catches his attention.

It’s the school newspaper. And it’s open to a certain page, and just by the very bold heading, Jeno knows which section it is. Of course they would have read the opinions section.

Jeno takes the stack of papers and leaves with a small goodbye, and the other three smile at him as he goes. Jaemin’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes. He looks lost and bewildered and Jeno wants to punch himself in the face.

And so Jeno leaves with more work to do and a downtrodden expression- so sad that Mark doesn’t even say anything. He barely manages to get any tickets cut, and after school Yukhei buys him ice cream, hoping it'll cheer him up.

It doesn't.

***

**5.**

“You didn’t publish an article this week.”

Jeno looks up to see Jaemin standing in front of him. He’s wearing his uniform, as usual, and his hair is perfect and his face is perfect and everything about him is perfect.

“Oh.” Jeno realises a second late that he’s talking about the Opinion’s section of their school newspaper, “Yeah. Practice has been intense because of the game next week. I didn’t have any time. Or opinions”

“I see.” Jaemin hesitates, and then sits on the steps besides Jeno. They must look interesting. Jeno’s in his jersey and he’s got his cloth around his neck and a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, while Jaemin looks every bit the golden president he is, “Are you nervous?”

Yes, Jeno wants to say. Like, really really nervous because this team beat us last time and it was my fault because I missed a winning shot, and I have not forgotten it. And neither have you, probably, because the school was talking about it for weeks. It was even published in the school newspaper, in the Breaking News Section, and the heading wasn’t even about the school’s loss. It was ‘Lee Jeno, Junior Year, Misses Winning Shot’.

“No.” he says instead, “I don’t care. It’s just...about the game, y’know?”

“Hm.” Jaemin leans onto the wall on his other side, “How long was practice today? I had three back to back meetings after school and you’re still here.”

“Three hours.” Jeno winces.

So does Jaemin, “You must be exhausted.”

“Not really.” Jeno shakes his head, mentally berating himself for this complete and utter lie, “It’s just….yeah, it’s cool.”

“Um...I heard from Renjun that Yukhei said you guys are hell-bent upon winning this time.” Jaemin ventures, “He said you’ve been having unscheduled practices. He said you arrange them.”

Jeno curses Yukhei and mutters, “I mean...practice is important.”

“It is.” Jaemin agrees, clearing his throat and looking away, “I hope you guys win! And even if you don’t, you’ve worked hard anyway. But...winning can be nice sometimes, right?”

“You are the most non-competitive person I know.” Jeno deadpans, and then freezes. He’s about to apologize when he hears the prettiest sound he knows- Jaemin’s little giggles. He’s trying to stifle them with a hand to his mouth, but they filter out nonetheless. Jeno wants to make him laugh again and again and again.

“You’re right, am I really obvious?” Jaemin asks ruefully.

Jeno thinks of the Student Council Campaign, where Jaemin supported the one of the opposing parties because they were distributing pretty cupcakes which they worked hard to make (the opposing party was so moved by his compassion that they ended up withdrawing and joining Jaemin’s party because he stood for unity and kindness).

And there was also the Fundraising competition with a rival school district where Jaemin went and bought things from their Bake Sale despite them being their competition because ‘it’s about helping people in need, not about some stupid rivalry!’. The next day, the rival school’s official instagram had a picture of Jaemin, with a caption about a lesson on morality and generosity delivered by the president of the rival school. It got thousands of likes and Jaemin’s personal instagram had to go on private because he got so overwhelmed by the influx of random followers.

And then there was that viral video of Jaemin in middle school, when he did competitive speed skating. He’d stopped his one-on-one race because his competitor hurt himself mid-way. He got recognition that night for being a true sport. It was dug up during their freshman year at high school and had shot Jaemin straight to the radar.

And straight to Jeno’s heart.

Jaemin really isn’t competitive. Of course, he is generous and selfless and sweet and caring and kind and funny- but a lot of times, he’s just...tired of competition and can’t give two fucks, and somehow it turns into him being Golden Boy of Neo High.

Jeno doesn’t see the problem. He thinks an angel like Na Jaemin deserves it all.

“Jeno?” Jaemin’s voice cuts into his thoughts.

“You’re really obvious.” Jeno nods, mind suddenly zoning back into their current conversation, and Jaemin giggles again.

“Well, I just get tired.” Jaemin explains, “I don’t get why winning is a big deal. Sometimes I think it’s a big deal that I bother to participate at all.”

Jeno hates losing. He hates it with passion. He could lose to a claw machine at a rigged arcade, and he will play until a worker opens the machine and gives him a prize and tells him it was rigged.

“Yeah.” Jeno says, “It’s not about winning.”

Jaemin sighs a little, looking Jeno up and down, “You confuse me.”

Jeno pauses, “Huh?”

“Nothing.” Jaemin says, getting up and swinging his bag over his shoulder, “I’ve got to go.”

Jeno doesn’t say a word. _You confuse me?_ What does that mean? He’s seen it in Jaemin’s smile for weeks now, the way his eyes dim, the way he sometimes looks at Jeno like he can’t figure him out.

Why does Na Jaemin want to figure him out?

 _You confuse me_ \- does that mean Jaemin thinks about him?

“Will you come to the game?” Jeno blurts, and then he feels like smacking himself in the face with his basketball.

Of course Jaemin will be at the game. He’s the student body president. He’s in charge of half the behind the scenes stuff that goes on there.

Jaemin stares at him, “I mean...I kind of have to be there.”

Jeno wants to say a lot of things. Doesn’t know how to put them into words. He stares back at Jaemin, and he can’t help but soften at how pretty the boy’s doe eyes are.

“I’ll find you.” Jaemin says suddenly.

“Huh?” Jeno startles out of his reverie, “You’ll- what?”

“I’ll be busy during the event with organising stuff, but after the game.” is Jeno wrong or is there a hint of pink on Jaemin’s cheeks? “I’ll find you.”

“Yeah.” Jeno can feel his own ears get warmer, “I’d like that.”

“Okay.” Jaemin’s smile doesn’t look quite so lost anymore, “I’ll see you there. Good luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The +1 will be posted tomorrow!
> 
> (note: this fic was first posted on my twitter @lunarnomin a couple of months ago)


	2. +1

**[+1]**

There’s only 11 minutes till the match ends, and Neo is 2 points behind. The game pulls on in a nerve-wracking lock, with full defense and no scoring from either side. In the end, Neo’s coach calls a timeout with just 3 minutes left.

They’re still 2 points behind.

It’s a repeat of last time, when the exact same thing had happened. And Jeno had missed the winning shot, and they’d lost the game and he’d ended up in the school paper as that player who missed the most important basket of the whole game. The whole season.

He’d really considered quitting the team, but Mark and Yukhei absolutely forbade it and Coach gave him a pep-talk about quitters. And Jeno also realised with horror that quitting would mean losing even more than he already lost. He would be that guy who missed the winning shot and was such a loser that he quit the whole team.

Yeah, no.

“We’re going with our backup plan.” Coach says, eyeing Yukhei and Jeno, “It’s mostly on you two. I’ll need Mark on defence on the opposite side and Eric at the center. Yukhei, you’ll pass to Jeno, who attempts the shot.”

Jeno swallows.

“It’s okay.” Coach says, smiling at Jeno, “No matter what happens. You improved a lot this year.”

It matters to Jeno, though.

He sighs as the referee declares 2 more minutes for water before resumption, and scours the stands to see if his sister could make it. She’s there- she beams at him and waves excitedly, and he manages a half-hearted wave back.

“Jeno!”

Jeno turns around on the bench and spots Jaemin leaning over the railing of the bleachers. He’s holding a lot of files in one hand, which Jeno assumes are all the documents signed between the two teams before the match.

He looks really pretty.

Uniforms aren’t compulsory on game days. Jaemin’s wearing high-waisted jeans and a cropped hoodie in their school’s colours. When he lifts his arm to wave, Jeno can see his toned midriff. His pink hair is soft on his forehead, and he’s wearing light makeup, and he has a President badge pinned on to distinguish him as an official student volunteer of the event.

His lips are sparkly. Jeno wonders if he wore lip gloss. His eyes are sparkly, too.

“Are you thirsty?” Jaemin’s concerned voice breaks Jeno out of his reverie. He’s always, always zoning out around Jaemin. He hopes the boy doesn’t think he’s weird.

“Oh.” Jeno looks dumbly at his empty water bottle, “Kind of. Shit. Yeah.”

“Here.” Jaemin hands over his own water, “You need to drink up- but not too much or you might not be able to run well.”

That’s not how it works, but Jaemin is cute so Jeno lets it slide.

“You can do it.” Jaemin adds, smiling softly, “If you’re going to be making the last shot. And even if you don’t….” he looks a bit mischievous, “it’s not about winning, didn’t you say?”

Jeno takes a swig of water, thinks about the possibility of Jaemin watching him blow the game- again- and thinks about the other team cheering and celebrating in Neo's school court- when Jaemin is dressed up all pretty, and might have to clap politely for _them_ instead.

“I fucking hate losing.” Jeno says sourly, handing the bottle back to Jaemin, and Jaemin’s eyes sparkle some more.

Jeno’s not sure why. His obnoxious competitiveness isn’t one of his most charming traits.

The coach calls him back before either of them can say more, so Jaemin sends him off with a ‘good luck’ and such a gorgeous smile that it takes Jeno’s breath away. He’s always wanted Jaemin to smile at him like that. Ever since they met in their freshman year of high school and Jaemin smiled at Mark for something so small and stupid he can’t even remember.

Jaemin’s smile can probably heal wounds and save worlds. He’s so pretty. Just so soft and pink and lovely and Jeno wants to kiss him. Maybe, if he wins, he’ll gather the courage to tell him he’s cute. That’d be a step.

It’s with this motivation that he squares his shoulders and heads back to the court. The opposing player who’s marking him smirks (he probably recognizes him from last year, Jeno thinks sullenly) but Jeno thinks of Jaemin’s sweet ‘good luck’ and his Coach’s encouraging words and his own hard work over the past year. He locks eyes with Yukhei once, and hears the squeak of Mark’s sneakers against the floor behind him.

The last 3 minutes go like that. Intense and nerve-wracking, and Jeno loses himself in it too easily. He loves it, the adrenaline and the freedom.

Yet the last 30 seconds always end the same way, with 2 points to go and the ball in his hands.

He’s standing in the 3-pointer area. It’s a long shot, but winning is better than a draw. If he jumps high enough, he can just make it. The seconds tick by and he knows he doesn’t have much time left- his teammates are already working overtime in defense.

Jeno honestly hates losing so much, but ending in a draw when he knows they could have won is absolute torture.

So he jumps and shoots from the 3-pointer area, 4 seconds to spare. It’s with a hush that the audience watches, the wide eyes of his teammates as they freeze in their positions, and his own heart beating.

The ball goes in with a swish. The points change on the scoreboard so that Neo is in the lead. A second later, the buzzer goes off, signalling the end of the game.

It’s absolute _pandemonium_. Jeno turns around, his shouting masked in the outbreak of cheers from their side of the stadium. His teammates are already around him, throwing him up in the air and screaming his name, and the marching band is playing loudly and the cheerleaders are doing complicated jumps and their whole school is chanting.

Mark and Yukhei catch him the third time he comes down, ruffling his hair and still shouting like crazy. Coach hugs him tightly, and Jeno’s sister is giving him a huge thumbs-up. Her phone is out, probably recording it for their parents, and Jeno feels warm and proud when he thinks of what his Dad’s going to say when he sees this.

The excitement doesn’t die down, but Jeno does make it back to the bench to wipe his face and drink some water before a quick shower. The teams have shaken hands, and now the court is a mix of players and audience, students and staff, their school and the opposing one. He remembers belatedly that he doesn’t have water and would have to fill it, when he feels a tap on his shoulder.

“Hey.” Jaemin says softly, cheeks pink and holding out his water bottle again.

“Hey.” Jeno whispers back, taking it and emptying the whole thing in one gulp, "Thanks."

Jaemin giggles, “You were really great. You were so cool.”

The prideful dragon roars in Jeno’s chest- Jaemin called him cool. Jaemin is smiling at him. And Jeno definitely can’t mistake the pink of his cheeks for anything else now.

“Thanks.” Jeno says again. He wants so badly to be humble and nonchalant about his achievements like Jaemin is, but he’s too psyched, “Did you see that at the last minute? I thought I was going to hurl. I was supposed to do a 2-pointer!”

“Were you?” Jaemin looks amazed, “That would have been a draw!”

“Exactly, so I winged it.” Jeno sighs happily, “Okay, I’ll be honest- it was pretty cool, wasn’t it?”

Jaemin is sparkly again. His eyes and his smile and his whole aura. He looks shy and happy all at once as he nods vigorously, and Jeno suddenly doesn’t know what to do. He’s never seen Jaemin look at him like this before.

Or maybe he has. Sometimes. But then Jeno says something dumb and Jaemin’s sparkles disappear and he just looks lost and confused all over again.

Jeno doesn’t want that to happen anymore.

“Um, after the game, the teams and the band and cheerleaders- we all go for pizza and shit.” Jeno says haltingly, “And- uh- we can bring people, if we want. Sometimes my sister comes. But, yeah. I was wondering...if you wanna come with me today, maybe?”

“Really?” Jaemin looks surprised, “But I didn’t do anything.”

“That doesn’t matter.” Jeno doesn’t know where his courage comes from, but he reaches forward to tweak the badge on Jaemin’s hoodie, “You work hard always, you know. I’d like it if you came. I...want to spend time with you.”

Jaemin nods, cheeks flushed,“I’d like that.”

“Okay. Awesome.” Jeno breathes out, “I’m just gonna. Shower, and. Yeah.”

“I’ll wait for you.” Jaemin twirls his fingers together, looking down. Jeno’s heart is so full just by gazing at him. For a moment he feels bad that he’ll be ditching Mark and Yukhei a majority of the night, but then he has an idea.

“And- you can ask Donghyuck and Renjun to come, too.” Jeno adds, “Mark and Yukhei’ll have some company, then.”

Jaemin grins, “Oooh, smart of you. I’m sure they’ll say yes immediately.”

And so half an hour later (usually Jeno takes 15 minutes to shower, but he spent an unnecessary amount of time wondering whether his wet hair looked cool and sexy, and dousing himself in cologne so he didn’t still smell like post-basketball-game), he gets into his car after opening the passenger’s side for Jaemin.

“I still haven’t got my license.” Jaemin sighs, “I don’t know why, I should get it soon. You’re cool for having yours.”

“It’s nothing.” Jeno feels smug, and can’t help but slip in, “Mark doesn’t have his yet.”

Jaemin chuckles and says, "Yeah, yeah, you're the coolest, I promise I know that." and Jeno feels hope unfurl in his chest.

The party is noisy yet chill, all at once. They’re just eating pizza and listening to music and chaotically talking about the game. Jaemin looks so nice under the party lights, his pink hair like cotton candy and his lips all glossy and sweet.

“I like your makeup.” Jeno says, and he wonders where this courage comes from today. Maybe it’s the adrenaline of a win. This is why he likes winning, “You look pretty. Like always, but this suits you.”

“Thanks.” Jaemin breathes, eyes widening in wonder, and for a second they both stand there, just staring at each other, before Jaemin breaks eye contact, giggling his pretty little fairy giggle.

For the next hour, Jeno and his teammates loudly (and boisterously, he’ll admit) recount every second of the entire game. Jeno boasts about himself several times and _also_ gets emotional when Mark says he’s proud of him, and also gets a bit carried away and announces that sports are important and the person who replaces PE with fundraiser preparation time every year can fuck off.

“Doesn’t Prez do that?” Soobin raises an eyebrow at Jaemin, who’s peacefully sipping his soda, legs swinging as he sits on the stool.

“Nope.” Jaemin says, popping the ‘p’, “I wish I had enough power to change the school timetable, but I don’t.”

“Oh, don’t get Jeno started on the school system.” Yangyang snorts, “He hates that shit. He has something against….well, everything.”

Jeno feels suddenly nervous, but before he can speak, Jaemin grins.

“Yeah, I read his opinions section.”

“It’s not _mine_.” Jeno mutters, “It’s open to anybody.”

“Oh.” Jaemin frowns, “But I only see you on it every week.”

“That’s because everyone else is too cowardly to own up to their opinions.” 

“Interesting.” Jaemin takes another sip of soda and doesn’t say anything more. But his eyes stay on Jeno, and they’re full of warmth.

Eventually, the two of them find their way outside. The party is still in full swing, and the contrast of the cool evening breeze makes Jeno feel calm.

“Thanks for coming tonight.” Jeno finally says, “I’m glad. It’s fun with you.”

“I’m having fun, too.” Jaemin responds happily, “I like you like this, Jeno.”

Jeno freezes, “I- you- _what?_ ” he asks, feeling himself malfunction.

Jaemin rolls his eyes, “I said, I like you like this. You’re fun. I mean, I always thought you were super sweet. But it’s the nicest when you’re….like this.”

“What do you mean, _like this?_ ”

“Like...Jeno-ish.” Jaemin smiles brilliantly, “I never get you when you say weird things, y'know? Like, I think I've seen you around enough to know stuff about you, but then...you say something and I wonder if I'm wrong. I like it so much when you're normal this way."

Jeno stares.

Well, there have been a fair few times like those. The uniform and the talent show, and the fundraiser posters, and the whole winning-losing thing. And that school picture day situation.

“Do you really read my opinions section?”

“So it _is_ yours.”

“Oh, you know what I mean.”

“I do.” Jaemin laughs, “I read it every single week.”

“You...don’t feel offended?” Jeno asks hesitantly. Jaemin is the Student Council President, after all. And most of Jeno’s opinions are not too favourable to the school systems.

“I love your opinions.” Jaemin says, eyes shining, “I like the way you think so much! I highlight things and keep your good points in a folder and I’ve been compiling a list of policies we can propose to the admin for the next year.”

“You- huh?”

“The admin doesn’t agree with a lot, they’re a bit old-school. But I think I’m getting around to them. Your piece on why PE should be considered on par with other subjects was the best one, I loved all the factual information you had in there.” Jaemin beams.

“But I- but if you read-”

“-that’s why I say you confuse me.” Jaemin says, “I like the way you think. And I like how you say what’s on your mind and that you… have actual reasons for why you don’t like things.”

“You.” Jeno’s brain short-circuits, “You...like... _me_? Like- like what? Because I- you-”

“I like you a lot.” Jaemin says shyly, “I’ve liked you since freshmen year when you said standardized test-taking isn’t the single judge of intelligence, and anyone who calls people dumb for their grades alone has no emotional or intellectual maturity.”

“I.” Jeno blinks, “I said that?”

“You did.” Jaemin says fondly, “You said it when Morrison called you a dumb jock for not doing well in Spanish class.”

Oh, _that_ incident. Jeno does have a lot to say about standardized testing. Maybe that should be the next opinions article.

For now, he has other things to think about.

“Wait.” he says, eyes widening, “Wait, holy _shit_ , what- you like _me_? Like, as in- like…. _like?_ ”

Jaemin nods, beaming, “Yeah. I like you.”

“I- holy shit.” Jeno takes a step back, “Fuck, do you know how long I’ve liked you? I- I act so dumb around you!”

“You do, sometimes.” Jaemin admits, “It confused me a bit. Sometimes I didn’t like it. When you...pretend to like things you don’t like. Or say things I _know_ you don’t believe in. I used to think you were mocking me, because you published your opinions in the newspaper every week and then told me the exact opposite.”

“No.” Jeno groans, “No, no. I just….don’t know how to act around you. And you organize school events, I didn’t want to be mean. And- and- I wanted you to like me!”

“Aw.” Jaemin blushes, eyes sparkling, “That’s sweet. I guess I misunderstood you. But you don’t have to do that, I’m in an argument with the admin most of the year, anyway. And besides. I already told you- I like you when you’re normal and Jeno-ish.”

“Yeah, but how was I supposed to know?” Jeno runs a hand through his hair. He really can’t believe this is happening, “I'm me, and you’re- _you_. I thought- I didn’t think you’d like- I mean, I’m always in detention and I don’t wear my uniform right and I don’t submit things on time and I spend more hours in the gym than studying, and I only do good in classes I like, and I disagree with every school policy ever, and I got in trouble with the principal for writing a sports article about equal rights when I was supposed to write about football season, and-”

“Yeah.” Jaemin cuts him off in a whisper, and would Jeno be dreaming if he said Jaemin looked a bit enamoured? “I really like all those things about you.”

“Oh.” Jeno breathes out, and the next thing he knows, Jaemin is tiptoeing and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Yeah.” Jaemin murmurs teasingly. From this close, Jeno can see his thick eyelashes and diamond eyes and glossy lips, “ _Oh_.”

This can’t be real life. This only happens in movies. Cheesy, cliché movies that Jeno makes fun of but secretly watches with his sister on Fridays nights, while everyone else is out partying. He just won the most important basketball game of the season- scored the winning shot- and now his crush is confessing to him, and he got a cheek kiss.

Yeah, no, it can’t be real.

Except it is, because he very much feels the tingling and the warmth. All the butterflies in his stomach, and his heart is racing, and Jaemin is such an angel, and that angel likes him? Jeno reaches up to feel the cheek he just got a kiss on- he really hopes it left a lip gloss kiss mark because that would be so cute- and Jaemin giggles so gorgeously and gives him a kiss on the other cheek too.

Jeno catches his face before he can get too far away, a final burst of post-match adrenaline. For a brief, shimmering moment, their eyes are locked.

And then Jeno kisses him.

Jeno loves it so much. Jaemin’s lips are soft and gentle against his own and they stay like that for seconds, minutes, hours- who knows? In the evening breeze, as the party goes on in the background, they wrap their arms around each other, kissing.

Jaemin pulls away first, “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”

“Me, too.” Jeno admits, “Can I take you on a date this weekend? We can go to cute cafes like you post on your instagram about. And we can do arcades, too. I’ll play that basketball game and win you a plushie.”

Jaemin’s whole face lights up, “I’d love that.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” he rubs their noses together, “I’d really love that.”

Jeno’s glad. He’s only been planning that date in dream-land for three years now.

“I still won’t wear my tie and blazer to school.” Jeno says a second later, “I really do hate it.”

“I know, you said in that article.” Jaemin grins, “I agreed with a lot of your reasoning, I brought it up in board meetings. But you have to tough it out for the rest of the year, at least.”

“I’ll just take more detention.”

Jaemin pouts, “More detention and less time spent with me?”

Jeno pauses, “Okay, then.” he says, reevaluating everything he's ever known, “I’ll wear the tie loose. I can’t do the whole tying thing, it’s choking and itchy.”

“I can’t promise you Renjun will be lenient about that.” Jaemin murmurs, eyes straying to Jeno’s lips again, “But personally, I always think you look really hot with your tie loose and blazer unbuttoned.”

Yeah, Jeno will take detention. Hundreds of them, if Jaemin thinks he looks hot without the full uniform.

Jaemin’s kissing him again, and Jeno still can't grasp that this is happening. He’ll ask Jaemin to be his boyfriend this weekend, after buying him a vanilla cupcake and winning him a bunny plushie and maybe getting him flowers, too.

For now, though, he’ll get his share of kisses. He adores kissing Jaemin, it’s already his favourite thing to do. He can’t believe he has the golden student council president in his arms like this, the sweetest, most lovely boy he’s ever met in his life.

When they part to breathe, Jaemin giggles. He’s sparkly again, his eyes and his smile, just the way Jeno adores.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Thank you for reading and do leave a comment letting me know what you think <3
> 
> (originally posted on my twitter @lunarnomin)


End file.
